April, 2018

• 15 April

  Oil, gold set to extend gains on Syria strikes

  

  LONDON / Reuters Gold and oil will extend their gains on Monday, albeit modestly, when the markets open for the first time since Western powers launched a missile attack on Syria but equities and bonds are unlikely to suffer big losses unless the West strikes again or Russia retaliates. “The newsflow is actually better than what it looked like at …

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• 15 April

  Norway’s Statoil assesses future projects with Mexico’s Pemex

  

  MEXICO CITY / Reuters Norway’s Statoil will evaluate new offshore projects in Mexico, including potential tie-ups with state oil company Pemex, the firm’s top executive said, adding that a first deepwater well in an existing Gulf project will likely be drilled next year. Statoil is focussed mostly on future deepwater opportunities in Mexico but does not rule out others, CEO …

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• 15 April

  Mercuria set to take stake in ChemChina’s refining system

  LONDON / Reuters Global energy trader Mercuria Group has agreed to take an interest in the oil refining system of China’s ChemChina, sources familiar with the matter said. As part of the deal, state-run ChemChina would increase its stake in Mercuria, one of the world’s largest oil trading firms. ChemChina already holds a 12 percent stake in the Swiss-based company …

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• 15 April

  No retaliation after Syria boosts Gulf; Saudi petchems up on oil

  

  Reuters Most Gulf stock markets rose on Sunday due to firm oil prices and relief that the weekend’s military attack on Syria was relatively limited in scope and there was no immediate retaliation. The United States, France and Britain launched 105 missiles after a suspected poison gas attack in Syria a week earlier. The strikes were limited to three alleged …

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• 15 April

  Oil may be about to jump

  

  Bloomberg Oil prices, already at more than three-year highs, may be about to jump further. And, to JPMorgan Chase & Co., crude-related assets are starting to look attractive. Brent oil could spike to $80 a barrel if the US and European Union reimpose sanctions on Iran and as Western powers expand the scope of the Syrian civil war, JPMorgan strategists, …

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• 15 April

  Flush with cash, Canada banks poised for expansion, takeovers

  

  Bloomberg Canadian banks have amassed their biggest war chest in five years — and they’re ready to use it. The country’s six largest lenders are approaching their strongest capital position since 2013, leaving them with enough resources to pursue acquisitions, buy back shares or build from within. That has the chiefs of Canada’s big banks weighing options. “It’s great to …

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• 15 April

  BOJ upbeat on regional Japan; wary over labour crunch, trade war risk

  

  TOKYO / Reuters The Bank of Japan mostly held an optimistic view on regional economies, in a sign of its conviction over a broadening recovery but warned that labour shortages and a US-China trade war could cloud the outlook. The central bank’s assessment in a report suggests it will probably maintain its upbeat growth and price forecasts when it conducts …

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• 15 April

  US regulators seek easing capital curb on leverage

  

  WASHINGTON / Reuters US bank regulators proposed easing a key capital rule designed to restrict bank leverage, a move that would free up $400 million of capital across the largest US banks. The proposal from the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency would reduce the “enhanced supplementary leverage ratio” (eSLR) and more closely tie the …

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• 15 April

  Japan, China bank groups challenge EU rule changes

  LONDON / Reuters The Japanese Bankers Association (JBA) and the China Banking Association (CBA) have joined forces to challenge proposed European Union regulations aimed at policing possible market risk posed by foreign lenders doing business in the bloc. In a letter to the European Commission seen by Reuters, the JBA and CBA — which represent hundreds of lenders from both …

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• 15 April

  Deutsche Bank kingmaker’s CEO move triggers criticism

  

  FRANKFURT / Reuters Once one of Germany’s chief power brokers in finance, Deutsche Bank Chairman Paul Achleitner’s switch of chief executive has triggered criticism that it was rushed through, casting a cloud over his own future. Achleitner forced out CEO John Cryan after a row that centred on what some describe as Cryan’s ‘indecisiveness’ in cutting jobs and costs, according …

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